Wilderness.org - Wovoka Wildernesshttp://wilderness.org/tags/wovoka-wilderness
enWilderness Week success: House passes Nevada lands billhttp://wilderness.org/blog/wilderness-week-success-house-passes-nevada-lands-bill
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sep 16, 2014</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/1.PineForest.Nevada.Brian-Beffort_0.jpg?itok=pHsPp1AN" width="500" height="332" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Pine Forest Range (Nevada).&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><em>Credit: Brian Beffort.</em></p>
</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">A bill passed by the House on Sept. 15 would protect about 74,000 acres of wilderness in Nevada.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>This is encouraging news, especially given that the bill, the Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act (H.R. 5205), advanced in the midst of Wilderness Week, a national event sponsored by The Wilderness Society and partner groups to bring Americans to D.C. to advocate for wilderness protections.</p>
<p>This legislation <a href="http://www.rgj.com/article/20140128/NEWS/301280051/Nevada-wilderness-bills-get-House-panel-OK?nclick_check=1" target="_blank">combines two bills</a> that would establish the Pine Forest Range and Wovoka Wilderness Areas, which are supported by The Wilderness Society. The Pine Forest Range Wilderness Area would protect 26,000 acres in Humboldt County, combining the Blue Lakes and Alder Creek Wilderness Study Areas. The Wovoka Wilderness <a href="http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/09/15/us-house-passes-northern-nevada-lands-package/15693231/" target="_blank">would comprise some 48,000 acres</a> of central Nevada&rsquo;s Pine Grove Hills between the Sweetwater Mountains and Wassuk Range, containing critical wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation resources.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://wilderness.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/embedViewer.html?webmap=f46932534a40407ba18af655f98d5960&amp;extent=-128.4452,30.8036,-105.286,45.6259&amp;home=true&amp;zoom=true" width="500"></iframe></p>
<p>Despite representing a big step forward for wilderness, the bill also <a href="http://wilderness.org/resource/statement-house-natural-resources-committee-markup-1282014" target="_blank">contains provisions</a> that threaten to undermine the integrity of wilderness areas moving forward. While some of those issues have been addressed in previous versions, others remain.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We are pleased that the House took up this bipartisan bill that will protect spectacular Nevada lands,&rdquo; said Paul Spitler, The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s director of wilderness campaigns. &ldquo;We will urge the Senate to remove language that undermines the Wilderness Act before sending this bill to the president.&rdquo;</p>
<p style="font-size: 12.222222328186px;"><img alt="" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/1.AlderCreek.PineForest.Nevada.Brian-Beffort.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 332px;" /></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.222222328186px;"><em>Pine Forest Range (Nevada). Credit: Brian Beffort.</em></p>
<p>The Wilderness Society will work to ensure that this bill lives up to the 50-year-old legacy of the Wilderness Act and maintains the integrity of the 110-million-acre-strong system it created.</p>
<h2><a href="https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=5732A98633449517CB1A4A23360CE0D4.app337b?cmd=display&amp;page=UserAction&amp;id=2705&amp;autologin=true" target="_blank">Contact your members of Congress today, and tell them it&rsquo;s time to pass wilderness bills!</a></h2>
<h2><a href="http://wilderness.org/action-needed-honor-50th-anniversary-congress-must-protect-more-wilderness" target="_blank">Learn more about wild places awaiting action from Congress</a></h2>
</div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_related field-group-div group-related speed-fast effect-none"><h2><span>Related Content</span></h2><div class="field field-name-field-related-content field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article article-promoted odd article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/what-wilderness"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/Roaring-plains-west-wilderness-west-virginia-Jonathan-Jessup.jpg?itok=NJdNnmxT" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">What is considered &quot;wilderness&quot;?</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Today, about 235 million acres of federal wildlands have been permanently protected as wilderness, parks, refuges or other protected areas. But that’s only a third of our public lands.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/what-wilderness">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article article-promoted even article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/wilderness-act-0"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/HandiesPeak-Colorado-randomletters-Flickr.jpg?itok=ZVBuA29q" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">What is The Wilderness Act?</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Wilderness Society was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Act of 1964. The act defines wilderness and provides for its legislative protection in the National Wilderness Preservation System.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/wilderness-act-0">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item even"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article article-promoted odd article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/insider-tips-urban-escapes"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/Experience---quiet-moments-2-JeffFox-smaller_1.jpg?itok=UHWadJ_I" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Enjoy wild places near your home in the city</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Living in the city means that you can feel like you’re a long way from wilderness. But actually many cities have wild places you can enjoy without having to go too far from home.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/insider-tips-urban-escapes">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tue, 16 Sep 2014 21:42:30 +0000Max Greenberg108223 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/wilderness-week-success-house-passes-nevada-lands-bill#commentsStatement on House Natural Resources Committee markup (1/28/2014)http://wilderness.org/resource/statement-house-natural-resources-committee-markup-1282014
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-publication-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2014-01-28T00:00:00-05:00">Tuesday, January 28, 2014</span></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <div>The Honorable Doc Hastings, Chairman</div>
<div>U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources</div>
<div>1324 Longworth House Office Building</div>
<div>Washington, DC 20515</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The Honorable Peter DeFazio, Ranking Member</div>
<div>U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources</div>
<div>1324 Longworth House Building</div>
<div>Washington, DC 20515</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Dear Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member DeFazio and Members of the Committee:</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>We are writing to express our views on the bills being considered tomorrow in the Natural Resources Committee. In particular, we would like to express our views on several of the individual bills under consideration:</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>H.R. 163 - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act</strong></div>
<div>The Wilderness Society supports H.R. 163, which would designate 32,557 acres of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as wilderness. H.R. 163 is a carefully crafted proposal that has bipartisan support among the Michigan delegation and broad public support within the local community. We urge the Committee to support this bill as introduced, without any weakening amendments.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>H.R. 433 &ndash; Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act</strong></div>
<div>The Wilderness Society supports the wilderness designations in H.R. 433, the Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act, which would establish the Pine Forest Range and Wovoka Wilderness Areas. However, we have serious concerns about the management language added to the amendment in a nature of a substitute that would undermine the integrity of the National Wilderness Preservation System, jeopardize public safety, and threaten natural resources. We urge the Committee to modify the amendment language prior to final consideration.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Our concerns include:</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<div><strong>Section 103(b)(2)(d)&mdash;</strong>This subsection prohibits the closure of any road that is &ldquo;adjacent to, in or near&rdquo; the proposed wilderness unless another road is simultaneously opened. This provision could threaten public safety or natural resources by placing arbitrary and unjustifiable restrictions on the Secretary of the Interior&rsquo;s ability to manage public roads. <em>The Wilderness Society urges that subsection 103(b)(2)(d) be deleted.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Sections 104(c) and 203(c)(3)&mdash;</strong>These subsections prohibit the United States from acquiring inholdings from willing sellers within the proposed wilderness areas. Instead, unlike all other inholders within public lands, owners of private inholdings in these two wilderness areas could only convey their land to the United States by donation or exchange. This provision unfairly and unconstitutionally limits the property rights of private landowners by inhibiting their ability to willingly sell their land to a willing buyer. Such a limitation will make it more difficult to acquire inholdings from willing sellers within wilderness areas. <em>The Wilderness Society urges that subsections 104(c) and 203(c)(3) are revised to conform to the United States Constitution and permit acquisition of land from a willing seller.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Section 104(g)&mdash;</strong>This subsection exempts all wildfire management activities, including forest thinning and other presuppression activities, from the Wilderness Act in the proposed Pine Forest Range wilderness. The Wilderness Act already provides authority to address wildfires, insects, and disease in section 4(d)(1) and wildfire management, including presuppression where appropriate, are permissible in accordance with The Wilderness Act. However, these activities are to be carried out within the Wilderness Act&rsquo;s overall framework of wilderness management, which includes requirements that wilderness areas be managed to preserve their wilderness character. Subsection 104(f) provides clear authority to address wildfire within the proposed Pine Forest Range wilderness in accordance with the Wilderness Act. Thus, subsection 104(g) is not necessary, as evidenced by its omission from the introduced legislation and Title II, regarding the Wovoka Wilderness. <em>The Wilderness Society urges that subsection 104(g), which is unnecessary and contrary to the Wilderness Act, be deleted.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Section 105&mdash;</strong>This section would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from ever studying specified lands adjacent to the proposed Pine Forest Range Wilderness for its values as wilderness or an area of critical environmental concern. Such a provision, never before included in wilderness legislation, would unduly limit the Secretary&rsquo;s limitation to conserve important natural resources after considering public input. Standard release language, as was included in the introduced version of H.R. 433, is adequate to release the lands adjacent to the proposed Pine Forest Range Wilderness for multiple use activities in accordance with the Federal Land Management and Policy Act, while preserving Secretarial discretion to make informed decisions about the management of these lands.<em> The Wilderness Society urges that section 105 be deleted and replaced with the release language included in the introduced version of HR 433.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Section 106(d)&mdash;</strong>This section would prohibit emergency hunting closures that are necessary for national security, public safety, or resource conservation from lasting longer than one year. Such an arbitrary limitation may prevent land managers from effectively protecting national security, public safety, or natural resources in the event that a longer closure period is necessary. Further, the one-year limitation is not necessary, as evidenced by its omission from the introduced legislation and the similar provision regarding the Wovoka Wilderness in subsection 203(d)(4). <em>The Wilderness Society urges that the arbitrary one-year limitation on temporary closures in section 106(d) be deleted.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div><strong>Section 204(c)(3)&mdash;</strong>This section would prohibit the Secretary pf Agriculture (sic) from prohibiting motorized vehicles where they are allowed as of the date of enactment, and prohibit the Secretary from closing any road &ldquo;in or near&rdquo; the proposed Wovoka Wilderness and withdrawal area without simultaneously opening another road. Like section 103(b)(2)(d), this section unduly limits the Secretary&rsquo;s discretion to manage roads, thus jeopardizing public safety and natural resources. <em>The Wilderness Society urges that section 204(c)(3) be deleted.</em></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>None of these egregious provisions are included in the introduced versions of the Pine Forest or Lyon County legislation and their inclusion in the amendment in a nature of a substitute are unnecessary and deleterious. In order to fulfill the agreement supported by the local communities, stakeholders and members of Congress who introduced the legislation, preserve the integrity of the National Wilderness Preservation System, protect public safety and safeguard natural resources, The Wilderness Society urges the Committee to revise these provisions prior to final consideration of H.R. 433.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>H.R. 2095 &ndash; Land Disposal Transparency and Efficiency Act</strong></div>
<div>The Wilderness Society opposes H.R. 2095, the Land Disposal Transparency and Efficiency Act, which would prohibit land acquisition by federal agencies until certain conditions are met. This measure would undermine the ability of private landowners to sell their land to the federal government, jeopardize natural resource protection and access to public lands, and harm local economies.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>H.R. 2259 &ndash; North Fork Watershed Protection Act</strong></div>
<div>The Wilderness Society supports H.R. 2259, the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, which would preserve a nationally significant watershed next to Glacier National Park and in the heart of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. We urge the Committee to support this measure as introduced without any weakening amendments.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>H.R. 2657 &ndash; Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act</strong></div>
<div>The Wilderness Society opposes H.R. 2657, the Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act, which would require the disposal of specified federal lands. The Wilderness Society supports the sale of excess Bureau of Land Management lands through the Federal Land Transaction and Facilitation Act (FLTFA), which provides a common-sense &ldquo;land for land&rdquo; approach to land disposal. We urge the Committee to reject H.R. 2657, and to instead support reauthorization of FLTFA.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-media field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><table class="sticky-enabled">
<thead><tr><th>Attachment</th><th>Size</th> </tr></thead>
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<tr class="odd"><td><span class="file"><img class="file-icon" alt="" title="application/pdf" src="/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png" /> <a href="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/TWS%20Statement%20-%20HNRC%20-%201.28.2014.pdf" type="application/pdf; length=248863">TWS Statement - HNRC - 1.28.2014.pdf</a></span></td><td>243.03 KB</td> </tr>
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</div></div></div>Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:05:03 +0000107765 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/resource/statement-house-natural-resources-committee-markup-1282014#commentsCongress considers Michigan and Nevada wilderness protectionshttp://wilderness.org/blog/congress-considers-michigan-and-nevada-wilderness-protections
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jan 28, 2014</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/SleepingBearDunes.rkramer62_0.jpg?itok=ZbSwB6ri" width="500" height="375" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>The Sleeping Bear Dunes at Lake Michigan.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><em>Credit: flickr, Rachel Kramer.</em></p>
</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Congress is getting closer to snapping its nearly five-year wilderness designation drought, as measures to protect wild areas in Michigan and Nevada passed through House committee markup on Jan. 28.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Michigan&rsquo;s Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore and Nevada&rsquo;s Pine Forest Range and Lyon County are under consideration to be protected as wilderness areas, part of a large backlog of public lands conservation bills.</p>
<p>Political discord has prevented lawmakers from moving plans to protect wild places, despite broad public support in local communities and nationwide.&nbsp;The 112th Congress was the first to fail to protect a single acre of wilderness since the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, who first signed the Wilderness Act into law.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Even these bills are not without their <a href="http://wilderness.org/press-release/house-committee-adds-poison-pills-nevada-wilderness-bills">shortcomings</a>. &ldquo;We applaud [House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc]&nbsp; Hasting&rsquo;s committee for moving these locally supported and broadly vetted bills along in the legislative process,&rdquo; said Jeremy Garncarz, senior director of wildlands designations with The Wilderness Society, &ldquo;but adding last-minute provisions that undercut wilderness management on public lands across the system turns a blind eye to the very democratic process that went into crafting these bills in the first place. The communities that worked long and hard on these bills deserve to see their legislation move forward cleanly and swiftly.&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;<q>&nbsp;&quot;The communities that worked long and hard on these bills deserve to see their legislation move forward cleanly and swiftly.&quot;</q></p>
<p>To be sure, communities don&rsquo;t always get what they deserve. Senate versions of all three of these bills have passed out of committee or better in the past, only to languish without enactment as law (a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore bill passed the full Senate in 2013 but had not made it past a subcommittee hearing in the House until now).</p>
<p>The Wilderness Society and local partners are working hard to protect wild places for the American people, but they can&rsquo;t do it without the help of lawmakers in Washington. It is long past time for Congress to break its pattern of inaction and put strong wilderness protection measures up for a full vote.</p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s a little more about the three places Congress is discussing now:</p>
<h2>Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Michigan)</h2>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7816768912_f2f5acedab_z.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 375px;" /></p>
<p>Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. <em>Credit: flickr, xray10.</em></p>
<p>This would-be wilderness area in Michigan&rsquo;s Lower Peninsula was named <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616">the most beautiful place in the country</a> in 2011 by Good Morning America, validating what many in the region&mdash;especially <a href="http://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm">hikers, hunters, anglers and nature-watchers</a>-- already knew.</p>
<p>Under the Sleeping Bear Dunes &nbsp;bill, some 32,557 acres would be set aside, protecting portions of two islands, miles of beaches, forest and spectacular sand dunes rising hundreds of feet above Lake Michigan. In turn, this would help preserve habitat for wildlife including porcupines, white-tailed deer, red squirrels, eagles and hawks. The proposal enjoys bipartisan support among the Michigan delegation and among communities around the lakeshore.</p>
<p>In June 2013, the Senate version of the bill to protect Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as wilderness was passed. The House version received a subcommittee hearing in July 2013.</p>
<h2>Pine Forest Range (Nevada)</h2>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3064/2579824246_c948e3b79d_z.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 375px;" /></p>
<p>The Pine Forest Range. <em>Credit: flickr, Ken Lund.</em></p>
<p>This proposed wilderness area in the northwest corner of Nevada would bundle the <a href="http://www.nevadawilderness.org/blue_lakes_wilderness_study_area">Blue Lakes</a> and <a href="http://www.nevadawilderness.org/alder_creek_wilderness_study_area">Alder Creek</a> wilderness study areas, which were established in 1980, into one <a href="http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/sep/05/scenic-pine-forest-range-could-be-nevadas-next-des/">protected stretch of aspen stands, sagebrush and clear lakes</a>. Among other things, the Pine Forest Range is acclaimed for its fishing. In the Blue Lakes, the only alpine lakes in the region, resident species include rainbow, brook, cutthroat and tiger trout, leading <a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/finding-deer-hunt/2010/07/overview-blue-lakespine-forest-range">Field and Stream</a> to declare their value to anglers &ldquo;immeasurable.&rdquo; Wildlife is bountiful too: chukar partridge, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and mountain lions draw hunters from throughout the region. Those sportsmen joined with ranchers, nature-lovers and others in northern Nevada to develop a wilderness plan that works for the area.</p>
<p>A Senate version of this bill was passed out of the Natural Resources Committee in May 2013.</p>
<h2>Lyon County (Nevada)</h2>
<p><img alt="" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5070/5698264266_e4733af4b0_z.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 334px;" /></p>
<p>East Walker River, part of which runs through the proposed Wovoka Wilderness Area in Lyon County, Nevada. <em>Credit: flickr, Warren Jackson.</em></p>
<p>If protected, the Wovoka Wilderness Area would encompass approximately 48,000 acres of central Nevada&rsquo;s Pine Grove Hills, protecting popular fly-fishing spots and wildlife habitat containing sage grouse, bighorn sheep and other species. The protected area is the last major roadless stretch in Lyon County and sources water to the nearby East Walker River, a key natural resource.</p>
<p>The Senate version of this bill was passed out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in June 2013. Until now, the House version had only made it as far as a subcommittee hearing.</p>
<p><a href="/node/107717">Learn more about wilderness bills awaiting action by Congress</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_related field-group-div group-related speed-fast effect-none"><h2><span>Related Content</span></h2><div class="field field-name-field-related-content field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article article-promoted even article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/why-protect-wilderness"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/willamettenationalforest-Joey-Levato-USFS.jpg?itok=mGk-EGFX" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">What is wilderness and why does it need to be protected? </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Since the Wilderness Act passed in 1964, Congress has designated nearly 110 million acres of federal wildlands as official wilderness.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/why-protect-wilderness">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article article-promoted odd article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/how-we-designate-wilderness"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/kingston-range-3-John-Dittli_0.jpg?itok=QQwrhbvC" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Find out how land is designated as wilderness</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">We work with people across the country to protect our last remaining wild places. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/how-we-designate-wilderness">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item even"><div class="ds-1col article article-type-article even article-related-content view-mode-related_content clearfix ">
<div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/113th-congress-wilderness-bills"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/related_content/public/AlpineLakes.JeffPang.jpg?itok=71VfW4Q7" width="220" height="115" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-promo-item-teaser field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Read about Wilderness bills proposed this Congressional session</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Wilderness areas are those lands that are so unique and prized that they are given the most protection.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-node-link field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/article/113th-congress-wilderness-bills">Read more</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tue, 28 Jan 2014 14:10:42 +0000Max Greenberg107763 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/congress-considers-michigan-and-nevada-wilderness-protections#comments